Seismic Imaging of Lithosphere Structure and Upper Mantle Deformation Beneath East‐Central China and Their Tectonic Implications

Li, Hongyi; Song, Xiaodong; Lü, Qingtian; Yang, Xiaoyu; Deng, Yangfan; Ouyang, Longbin; Li, Jiapeng; Li, Xinfu; Jiang, Guoming

doi:10.1002/2017jb014992

Cited by 62 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Lithospheric extension and thinning has been previously documented in the ENCC, and the westward subducted Pacific plate has been implicated in this process (Chen et al, ; Ren et al, ; Sun et al, ; Zhu et al, ). Other seismic data provide evidence of lithospheric modification beneath much of eastern China (H. Li et al, ; X. Li et al, ; Wang et al, ; Zhang et al, ; Zheng et al, ). Our results provide a broad view of lithospheric thickness and support the proposed lithospheric dismemberment in east China.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithospheric Alteration, Intraplate Crustal Deformation, and Topography in Eastern China

Deng

Levandowski

2018

Tectonics

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Topography can be directly observed, but what controls topographic variation is not readily known. To investigate a prominent and remarkably consistent along‐trend topographic gradient belt (TGB) in intraplate eastern China and its connection to ongoing deformation and geodynamics, we examine the regional density structure of the crust and mantle lithosphere. We first use S velocities to derive an initial density and then refine the density model by joint inversion of topography and gravity. We use the final density model and receiver functions to strip away topographic contributions from the crust, and we subsequently estimate the thickness of the mantle lithosphere required to satisfy flexural isostasy. Crustal buoyancy overcompensates for the elevation change across the TGB. East of the TGB (eastern north China craton and southeastern south China), the lithosphere is thin (~ 90 km), suggesting that not only the eastern north China craton but also much of the eastern China has experienced lithospheric dismemberment. The TGB behaves as an important contour for the lithospheric thickness, except for the northeast China and Qinling‐Dabie. Proposed refertilization of the altered mantle lithosphere in the east side of TGB would result in even lower lithospheric thickness, while hydration and asthenosphere upwelling have the opposite effect. This systematic calculation gives a regional analysis of eastern China and could be a useful guide for the regions lacking seismic investigations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithospheric Alteration, Intraplate Crustal Deformation, and Topography in Eastern China

Deng

Levandowski

2018

Tectonics

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“…b , c Present-day tectonic setting and simplified tectonic reconstruction at ~50 Ma of Central, East and Southeast Asian convergent plate boundaries showing oceanic/continental subduction zone migration (blue arrows) and proposed large-scale upper mantle flow patterns (orange arrows) that accommodate lateral slab migration (Indian continental slab advance and predominant retreat for oceanic slabs). Red bars in b indicate regional pattern of upper mantle anisotropy based on seismic shear wave splitting measurements derived from various sources 45,46,49,82 . Dashed lines with numbers 1–4 in b indicate sections along which Cenozoic finite extension has been estimated (see “Methods”).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pacific subduction control on Asian continental deformation including Tibetan extension and eastward extrusion tectonics

et al. 2019

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The India-Asia collision has formed the highest mountains on Earth and is thought to account for extensive intraplate deformation in Asia. The prevailing explanation considers the role of the Pacific and Sunda subduction zones as passive during deformation. Here we test the hypothesis that subduction played an active role and present geodynamic experiments of continental deformation that model Indian indentation and active subduction rollback. We show that the synchronous activity and interaction of the collision zone and subduction zones explain Asian deformation, and demonstrate that east-west extension in Tibet, eastward continental extrusion and Asian backarc basin formation are controlled by large-scale Pacific and Sunda slab rollback. The models require 1740 ± 300 km of Indian indentation such that backarc basins form and central East Asian extension conforms estimates. Indentation and rollback produce ~260–360 km of eastward extrusion and large-scale clockwise upper mantle circulation from Tibet towards East Asia and back to India.

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“…On the other hand, the initial collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates during the Cenozoic caused large‐scale eastward‐southeastward lateral escape of the continent in eastern Asia (Liu et al, 2004; Tapponnier et al, 1982). Some weak zones in eastern China, such as basin‐range junction belt or pre‐existing major faults, experienced extension or transtension resulted from the lateral continent escape (Kong, Yin, & Harrison, 1997; Li et al, 2018). The collision caused a dextral transtension in east Eurasian continent and reactivated the pre‐existing TLF, which in turn led to development of transtensional basins along the fault (Allen, Macdonald, Zhao, Vincent, & Brouet‐Menzies, 1997; Ren et al, 2002; Xu et al, 2014; Zhang, Shi, & Dong, 2003).…”

Section: Analysis and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupling relationship between sedimentary basin and Moho morphology in the South Yellow Sea, East China

et al. 2020

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The development of the sedimentary basin in the South Yellow Sea that lies between the Chinese mainland and the Korean Peninsula well documents the tectonic evolution of eastern China. However, the Moho morphology and its relationship with the basin in this area remain poorly understood. Here we used high‐resolution 2D seismic lines and well data to map the geometry, structure, and distribution of the sedimentary basin in the South Yellow Sea. Our results suggest that the South Yellow Sea Basin can be divided into two distinct depressions and three uplifts. The depressions consist of eight depositional sags that are largely controlled by ENE‐, EW‐, and WNW‐striking normal faults. The basin depth reaches 9,500 m in the depressions, but is only <2000 m in the uplift zones. Calculated using a gravity stripping method, the Moho depth varies between 27.4 and 31.5 km. The basin is isostatically compensated and the Moho morphology approximately mirrors that of the basin basement. The Moho lows correspond to the uplift zones and Moho highs correspond to the depression zones, with exception of a sag in the Northern Depression. This exception is caused by the presence of a geological body of high velocity and high density beneath the sag. This body is likely to represent high‐pressure metamorphic rock that initially formed during the collision between the Sino‐Korean and Yangtze cratons and are currently overlain by the sedimentary basin. Based on the stretching factors and strain rates of the South Yellow Sea Basin, we propose that development of the basin was primarily driven by the subduction and retreat of the Pacific Plate since the Late Cretaceous, combined by far‐field effects from the convergence between the Indian and Eurasian plates during the Cenozoic.

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Seismic Imaging of Lithosphere Structure and Upper Mantle Deformation Beneath East‐Central China and Their Tectonic Implications

Cited by 62 publications

References 51 publications

Lithospheric Alteration, Intraplate Crustal Deformation, and Topography in Eastern China

Lithospheric Alteration, Intraplate Crustal Deformation, and Topography in Eastern China

Pacific subduction control on Asian continental deformation including Tibetan extension and eastward extrusion tectonics

Coupling relationship between sedimentary basin and Moho morphology in the South Yellow Sea, East China

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